>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning. you are looking at the first morning commute across the new eastern span of the bay bridge. caltran has opened the bridge to traffic last night at 10:00, seven hours ahead of the schedule. moving well this morning. thanks positive joining us on this historic morning. >> those who take the bridge are happy it opened early. drives this morning, about to make the first rush hour trip across the new bay bridge. it opened last night seven hours ahead of schedule. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is at the toll plaza. finally, amy. >> good morning, eric. isn't it great? it feels like christmas morning a big fun present for the bay area. we are at the toll plaza. no problems here. no backup. cars are moving without any trouble. they are going on a historical

trip. here are the cars crossing the first time this morning. they are doing fine with a straight shot across the bridge. no s-curve to deal with. the c.h.p. is hoping that doesn't translate interest heavy-footed motorist. do not go too fast. you have to obey the speed limit which is 50 miles per hour. we have video of the first cars crossing the bay bridge that opened at 10:15. it was scheduled to open at 5:00 this morning but the work went smoothly so they were able to open it last night. it was greeted with enthusiasm. cars were waiting on both sides of the bay as people hoped to be some of the first to get across it. it opened at 10:15. it is historical but c.h.p. says do not slow down, no gawking. can you not stop and take pictures. move as normal. you cannot speed.

you cannot go too slowly. c.h.p. are out there watching. >> did you feel like it was easy to go fast because it was is open and straight? >> yes, with no s-curve, people with a heavy foot...not talking anyone specifically...and leyla gulen i am sure there is no one out there like that this o. >> hopefully not. it is like a christmas president. c.h.p. is out there to make sure you are not being naughty but nice. >> good morning, everyone. so far, so good. we do not hear of accidents as we look at the bay bridge, not as beautiful as in person, but 56 miles per hour at the top speed moving over to treasure island and stays clear in san francisco. as we stay in the east bay up to the tolls, and taking the nimitz

or 580 everything is clear. if you drive from highway four down i-80 to the maze it is 13 minutes. westbound is eight minutes to get from the maze to san francisco 101 southbound from san francisco to the airport is 11 minute commute and outside, this is the golden gate bridge from sausalito to san francisco. moving along at top speeds. mike nicco will tell us about the forecast. >> good morning, everyone, we have live doppler 7 hd and no need to worry about sprinkles and showers or anything that have moved away. this afternoon, total sunshine inland and around the bay and even sun along the coast: half moon bay is 70. mirroring that is san francisco, 75 in richmond and oakland and to 82 in san jose and 83 in santa rosa and mid-to-upper 80's in the east bay valley. temperatures are close to average and wait until you see

the big warming trend in the seven-day outlook. >> want a virtual ride on the new bay bridge in we will check with dick epstein on the road giving us a front review of the new span using cell 7 technology. dick, headed to the tower? >> headed to the tower, eastbound, again, from treasure island and i don't know if you just saw it but a highway patrol cruiser are out here making sure people do not take pictures and obey the speed limits much the toughest thing about driving on the bridge, we have been reporting for a week that the traffic has been the toughest par. the toughest part now is keeping it under the speed limit. it is an open stretch of road, you feel like it is a highway to heaven climbing the incline

headed westbound to san francisco, the majestic spire and it is difficult to keep your speed at 50 miles per hour or less. everyone is mostly doing 55 to 60. that is easy to do on the new bridge. >> drivers are getting a chance to enjoy the ride on the new span. abc7 news katie marzullo is in san francisco with that reaction. >> good morning, these are the earliest commuters and they are in great spirits all smiles. i am talking with them as they come off of the bay bridge near fremont and they could not be more pleaded. it is a parse group this early compared to last night. look at this video near 1st and harrison drivers gathered, crowded, hoping to be among the first to get to the new span and they were honking, enjoying them

self like the people i talked with this o. >> it was beautiful. everything was driving slower to admire the bridge. >> love it. i want to go to that bridge. i want to see the bring. just beautiful. beautiful. beautiful. >> positive reaction but you are not supposed to be taking pictures as you drive on the bridge. someone i talked with this morning might have done that. i will not name names. when the buses roll in i hope to talk to people who have written across the bridge as passengers, they can take the pictures they want and no doubt they will have beautiful wants to share. >> the changeable message boards on the new bay bridge have a

message "welcome to the new eastern span." they were lit up yesterday as the highway patrol and firefighters and other officials drove across the span. we have more on the historic morning and we want to know what you think of the new bay bridge of the join the conversation on our facebook and share your thoughts. state senator will promote a bill to allow drivers with hybrid cars to access the h.o.v. lanes to a program that allows low emission vehicles to use the lanes. officials hope to encourage the purchase of hybrid cars to reduce the state's carbon footprint. >> the mayor of san bruno will discuss recovery on the third anniversary of the gas line explosion and fire that devastated a neighborhood. september 9, 2010, a pipeline ruptured and caused a massive

fire killing eight people, injured 60, and destroyed 38 homes. at city hall, the mayor will renew a push for reforms in the way public utilities are regulated and pipeline safety is enforced. >> redwood city planning commission will review lands for a new private elementary school that some neighbors oppose. our media partner, the san jose mercury news reports they would operate from a building at redwood city baptist church. neighbors say they worried about the noise and traffic. the commission has scheduled to address the concerns tonight when it reviews a draft environmental impact report. >> officials are trying to get a handle on mosquitoes infected with west nile virus rolling out to fog a mosquito hot zone with a record spraying five times, they did it seven times last

year. officials are not sure if there is an increase or they are detecting them more with better methods. >> we know you you are tempted to take pictures off the new span of the bridge. >> leyla gulen has traffic. >> no accidents or problems and no stalls. that is great news. >> to the toll plaza we can see exactly what that drive is looking like. it is smooth sailing. we are hardly seeing any cars this early. i am sure it will be a breath of fresh air when you make it over across the span. clear conditions right now. the yerba buena island camera shows traffic coming toward the island. you can see the traffic is moving very well headed along

the westbound direction so for accidents certainly. we will get that fixed for you. thank you, mike. >> we all excited here. >> now with a look at the forecast, here is mike nicco. he can fix things like nobody's business. >> we will have to get the engineers in on that sound. you can see looking at livermore, the weekend ahead, we will be chose to average today, tomorrow, thursday we warm. look at the try people digits possible on friday and saturday, still above average for sunday and monday. before we get to that, a beautiful picture of the new bay bridge from the east bay hills camera with high definition picture. our day planner we will have limited cloud cover this morning and temperature around 55 in the north bay to 63 in the warmest areas and by noon 64 at the

coast and 76 inland. not so humid as we head to 4:00 and it will be delightful with no worries, mid-60's at coast to mid-70's. our mildest time is tomorrow, on thursday we jump to 90 inland and 80 an the bay and 70 at the coast and friday, 98 inland, and 90 around the bay and 74 at coast. better get to the coast early friday and saturday for a good spot. those are the days we wait all year: the weekend during fall when it is sunny and warm at the coast. >> mike, thank you. >> historic first for the bay area: traffic is moving across the new eastern span of the bay bridge.

>> and dennis rodman is headed back to north korea

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covering san rafael, south bay, pleasanton and all the bay area this is abc7 news. >> the first morning of the bay bridge eastern span travel from sky 7. we will tell you more and show you more ahead. >> now the ride, we will check with our engineer on the move using cell 7 technology giving us the close look of the new bay bridge. dick, how is it going? >> good morning, kristen. i finally timed this drive right so we are just hitting the spire and the cables and the beautiful section of the new bay bridge

westbound into san francisco. there is no track. everything is moving freewayly. there is no backup at the toll plaza. a word of caution: c.h.p. has a lost units out here. i counted half a dozen c.h.p. units staging at the toll plaza and they are cruising both eastbound and westbound on the bridge to make sure people are behaveing. watch your speed. it is very easy to exceed the 50 miles per hour speed limit. there is no s-curve. there are no rumble strips. i am just coming in to the newly lit, newly cleaned yerba buena island tunnel the very bright. the old ride through the tunnel was dirty expense, and this is so bright you almost need

sunglasses. >> thank you, dick. the new eastern span has been built to withstand the largest earthquake expected over a thousand years, showing it swaying side to side and shifting up-and-down with special beams allowing the road to move back-and-forth without cracking which was not possible on the old span. this is video from sky 7 october 17, 1989 when the 6.9 earthquake caused the section of the original portion of the bay bridge to collapse. it took 24 years to complete the replacement span. >> 4:46. the white house is in full lobbying mode for targeted military action in syria over the alleged use chemical weapons. president obama has invited a number of lawmakers to the white house this morning for a talk including how speaker boehner and democratic leader nancy

pelosi. president obama has won tentative support in two key republican senators: john mccain and lindsay graham. the u.n. says that more than two million refugees have fled the violence in syria. >> basketball ham of famer rodman is headed back to north korea saying he wants to see his old friend "kim" again, kim jong-un. he made a highly criticized crist in february to promote basketball. that is a sport that kim loves. in beijing the visit is "friendly gesture." >> and across the new span, you got the feeling of openness. >> quite open when you are used to the feeling of the lower deck. wide open. and gorgeous. >> how is the traffic, leyla

gulen? >> not much. it is quite quiet across the bay area. i don't know if folks are taking an extra day off for the holiday or what is the story but we will take it. it is quiet. headed over to highway 4 from antioch and to pittsburg, there is a buildup at 60 miles per hour westbound. just volume building. headed away from highway 4 down 680 at walnut creek, we are top speeds and clear conditions and highway 24 and into the town them we have two boards open and looking at cheer top speed conditions. tracy is at 34 miles per hour and red pushing in the westbound direction over the altamont pass. slow-and-go track as you hit livermore but, still, 24 minute commute from tracy to dublin. the san mateo bridge shows clear

drive from hayward to foster city in the westbound direction. mike? >> thank you, laying. tracking food with live doppler 7 hd and you can see quarter-mile visibility in santa rosa and clear most of the night and seven miles at half moon bay and everyone else is unlimited in the horizontal with lower clouds along the coast. some those are creeping into san francisco. we are looking south from mount tamalpais right now and the clouds have a very short shelf life brighter today and less humid. partly cloudy and mild. get ready for warm temperatures. some areas make a run at 100 degrees friday and saturday. the moisture is moving to the east overnight with a low bringing in dry air which is a reason why we will see sunshine to the coast in the afternoon. low-to-mid 80's for the south bay, and mid-to-upper 80's los gatos. santa cruz is sunshine and 82.

mid-70's to near 80 most neighbors in the peninsula, from 82 in los altos to 74 in millbrae and half moon bay is 71 , and near 70 in south san francisco and 74 in sausalito, a day where you can get pretty pictures from the golden gate bridge. if not, wait until thursday and friday, for sure, maybe hazer on saturday. low-to-mid 80's headed through the north bay valley and upper 60's at the beaches and the east bay shoreline, mid-70's to upper 70's and a run to the upper 80's but not so humid in the east bay valley as yesterday. day game, a's and rangers at 67 at 7:00, and cooling down to 62 with falling temperatures into the mid-to-upper 50's north bay, san francisco, half moon bay, and everyone else is in the low-to-mid 60's. here the seven-day forecast,

tomorrow, a lot like today and you can see the warming trend thursday and friday, saturday, and sunday, those are the warmest days in the forecast. relief is at the beaches in the mid-70's. >> life expectancy if women is going up with a new reportcying that more women around the world are living over 50 even in developing countries. the longer lives are attributed to progress against diseases such as flu and tuberculosis and pneumonia but poor and middle income countries can lengthen women's libs more by lowering blood pressure and screening for cervical and breast cancer. >> next, the remarkable technology developed here in the bay area that will help your next flight in bad weather go further. >> the bay bridge troll authority will introduce you to

the new guardian of the new eastern span. >> look outside, first -- the new bay bridge is open for traffic.

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>> the bay bridge will have a protector made for the new span. this is the new bay bridge troll with a hammer in its right harm and a tongue in the left. the old troll made a cameo yesterday and a spokesman says it will go into the bridge museum built near the toll plaza. officials are not saying where the new troll is being placed. iron workers put the old lucky troll on the bridge when they replaced the section that

collapsed during the 1989 earthquake saying it protected the bridge from additional natural disasters. >> now, traffic and the historic tuesday morning ride. >> so, the pa-troll? i tried. now the traffic if you are headed along the westbound direction from tracy to dublin it is 31 minutes and from antioch to concord is 15 minutes. 101 southbound from san rafael to san francisco is under 20 minutes. this drive is walnut creek southbound along 680 headed away from highway 4 to the 24 junction and a buildup of traffic with more tail lights pushing in the southbound direction and no reports of accidents anywhere in the bay area. we have a couple of stalls but other than that, we are looking at quiet conditions. i wish everyone a nice drive

across the through span of the bay bridge. mike nicco? we will start with the almanac for september to give you an idea of what to expect, we start off at 82 and we drop to 79 for a warmer month in san jose. lows go from 58 to 55 with the longer nights and we are losing two hours or two minutes and 20 seconds of sunshine and we have been as warm as 104. the most rain we have had at this time is 2". rainfall is in the sierra and thunderstorms there, and that will help clear out the smoke around tahoe at 77 and yosemite national park is 89 and near 90 headed to sacramento and the upper 80's around los angeles and 105 in palm springs. >> nasa technology developed here in the bay area could help reduce the time you spend on an airplane. nasa scientists in silicon valley have created software

called rescission departure release capability analyzing aircraft operations during bad weather and heavy traffic times. controllers can use the information to move planes around the runway and get others to air streams faster. >> it is going to reduce your delays if bad weather by up to 10 or 15 minutes and not so bad weather you will feel less delay on the ground can you will feel less delay in the air. >> the $5 million program is estimated to save $20 million a year mostly in fuel costs. >> our coverage of the bay bridge opening continues at 5:00 and here is a look at traffic on the new eastern span of bay bridge and the toll plaza folks approaching and this opened after 10:00 last night with coverage on the first morning commute at the new span. >> the family of two crash victims speak out in outrage and why they blaming police for their loved ones' death.

>> accusations the unions are making against bart

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>> this is abc7 news. >> the bay bridge is back in business this morning. you are looking live at the bridge from sky seven and the first morning commute on the new eastern span. >> i like this shot because you can see both sides of the bridge on the left, the western side, and on the right, the new eastern span, beautiful sight. thank you for joi